Investments over 2 percent up in January

Investment data have not been adjusted for calendar effects. January 2020 has the same number of working days as January 2019. According to the CBS Investment Radar, conditions for investments in the Netherlands are less favourable in March than they were in January.

Investment climate less favourable in March than in January

Every month, CBS publishes updates on the investment climate in the CBS Investment Radar. Relevant circumstances for the investment climate include the situation on the sales and financial markets. Although the radar indicators show a strong correlation with investments in fixed assets, improved circumstances are not necessarily translated into increased growth in investments.

According to the CBS Investment Radar, the investment climate in the Netherlands is less favourable in March than it was in January. This is mainly due to the fact that the year-on-year increase in stock market prices turned into a decrease and the industrial capacity utilisation rate deteriorated.

The investment figures for the reporting month of January do not yet reflect the effects of the coronavirus outbreak. The investment radar contains an indicator with March figures, namely consumer confidence. Approximately 85 percent of the respondents participating in the consumer confidence survey had already responded to the survey before the far-reaching measures against the spread of coronavirus came into effect on Thursday 12 March. The effect of these measures is probably not yet reflected in the consumer confidence measurements for March.